


A Series Of Unexpected Surprises

by Green_Arrows_of_Karamel (Mare9548)



Series: OHFAT 2017 [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 2-part fic, AU, Comfort, F/M, Felicity never moved to star city, OHFAT, Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon, OlicityHiatusFic, OlicityHiatusFic-A-Thon, One More Time, Tumblr Prompt, at odds, au where Oliver was never stranded on the island and Robert Queen is alive, consequences of a wild night, series of surprises, unintentional discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-11-30 21:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11472201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mare9548/pseuds/Green_Arrows_of_Karamel
Summary: Oliver and Felicity have a series of unexpected surprises after spending a wild night together.******************Anonymous requested Prompt #47 “I thought it was a one-night-stand… and now we’re married.” This fic also fulfills the prompts of @OlicityHiatusFicAThon “At Odds” (week 4) and  “Unintentional Discovery”  (week 6) on chapter 1, while “Comfort” (week 7) on chapter 2; plus “One More Time” (week 8) and “Get Down” (week 12)  on chapter 3.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another late delivery from me, but here it is! I’m getting 5 birds with one stone with this 2-part fic. With the first chapter, I’m fulfilling an anonymous request of Prompt #47 “I thought it was a one-night-stand… and now we’re married”, from the list at https://green-arrows-of-karamel.com/prompts. Also, fulfilling the prompts of @OlicityHiatusFicAThon “At Odds” (week 4) and “Unintentional Discovery” (week 6).
> 
> Big thanks to @laurabelle2930 Lauren and @thearrowandhisgirlwednesday Shannon for their awesome beta skills. You both rock!!

The first thing that hits Felicity as she opens her eyelids is the blinding splendor of the sun coming through the window directly onto her face. Then, a head-splitting pain sets in, which unsettles her stomach. She groans as she closes her eyes again and shields herself with the duvet, cursing the hour when she heeded her mom’s advice of going out the night before to have a drink. A drink which obviously turned out to be a lot more than one. Her idea of fun for the weekend hadn’t included clubbing in the most popular places along the Las Vegas Strip.

Much less having a monster of a hangover on Saturday morning.

Now that she’s awake, neither her headache nor her nausea is willing to let her go back to sleep. She also becomes aware of other things around her. The first one is her state of undress as she is naked and lying in a strange bed. If she didn’t know better, she would say that she was sleeping in a cloud because the mattress feels so unlike her old worn-out bed. _Where the frak am I? And why am I naked?_ she thinks as she opens an eye to investigate her whereabouts. A fancy hotel room manifests before her sight as the bed is jostled around. Startled, Felicity rolls over. Next to her, she finds a dirty blond haired guy sleeping on the bed with his back facing her. From where she doesn't know but, she gets the strength and balance to get on her feet. She manages to slide out of the covers and stand up in a heartbeat. Her sleeping companion wakes up because of the shriek escaping her lips.

“Do you mind keeping it down?” he groans, as he rolls to his back and leans up on one elbow while massaging his forehead with his free hand, obscuring his features. It’s clear that whoever he is, he also had too much to drink.

She screeches again, noticing her lack of clothes for the second time and swiftly yanks the duvet to cover herself awkwardly before the unknown man lifts his eyes to her.

“Please,” he begs her again in a growly voice.

He drops his hand and lifts his head up at last, so Felicity can see his face. Two intense blue eyes fix on her while a look of surprise shines clearly on them. Soon, it’s replaced with something much primal. Felicity swallows hard, feeling the appreciating look he’s giving her. She adjusts the duvet covering her as a sudden shyness crawls inside her. Totally ridiculous on her part because there isn’t much to hide from him after the wild night they obviously shared. Fire ignites in her belly, which leaves her breathless. The heat rushing through her veins skyrockets when her eyes roam over him. Felicity’s taken aback by how handsome he is, with proud cheeks and a strong jaw, which are darkened by a sexy stubble. To her bafflement, he looks somewhat familiar but can’t point out exactly how or when she met him.

What bothers her the most is that her body seems to recognize him much more than her memory does.

“Wh— who are you? Am I in your room? Ugh, silly me! Of course, it is yours! Who else's can it be? Not mine!” Felicity babbles at thousand miles per hour, her brain is too foggy to filter her words. Not that it does a better job in normal conversations. “Why am I here… in your room… naked?!” The answer is obvious but she couldn’t help asking anyway. “This is your room, right? Right?!”

“I should feel offended that you don’t know me,” he mutters, “but if your hangover is half bad as mine is, I guess that’s it's understandable why you can’t remember me. Honestly, I barely remember half of what we did last night. And yes, this is my room.” He doesn’t sound so sure about that but Felicity doesn’t have a better explanation. She sure as hell didn’t rent that luxurious room; she doesn't have that kind of money. He glances around the magnificent suite from the bed in as if confirming his suspicions, then his expression relaxes, which takes Felicity to believe that indeed they’re in his room.

“Look, Felicia—”

“Felicity.”

“What?”

“My name is Felicity, not Felicia.”

In other circumstances, a guy calling her with the wrong name would have gotten a swift goodbye from her but now she doesn’t have the moral ground to reproach anything to this man. Much less when his name savagely eludes her memory. It is Albert… Wynfrith? Or perhaps, it could be Quinn. That sounds familiar but she’s not sure. At least he called her with something close enough to her real name.

“Oh, sorry, that’s right… Felicity. Let’s not make this more embarrassing than what it already is, okay. Obviously, we had a few drinks last night—”

“A few?!”

“Well, okay, a lot,” he concedes in a bored tone. “My point is that we connected and enjoyed a good time. We’re adults who decided to spend a night together, no strings attached. I recall vividly that it was you who wanted to come to my room.”

“No, I didn’t!” her statement lacked conviction, because _hello_ … no memory of it. Could have she been so bold? It wasn’t her style but, looking at him, Felicity has to recognize that under the effects of alcohol-induced low inhibitions it would be easy to fall prey to lusting for a guy that looks that fine. The white sheet covers his lower body but she can see his ripped abs, strong arms, and hard pectorals. He looks good enough to be a model. “And obviously, you weren’t opposed to the idea. Takes two to tango, mister!”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Felicity is taken aback when a clear flash rushes through her head, disorienting her.

_… He approached, smiling at her, “Hi, can I buy you a drink?”…_

“Oh…” she breathes. After that, more flashes come randomly to her throbbing head, making her headache even worse.

_… Both of them laughed as if neither had worries in this world… …Hugged each other in celebration. One of them won in the casino… …They made toasts with shots of tequila before gulping the burning liquid down their throats…_

She massages her temples, wishing for the memory diarrhea to stop. At first, the images are too fast and unconnected to make any sense but gradually they slow down and get clearer. Felicity doesn’t want to believe it but as the recollection of her night becomes unhidden, hours full of delights unfolds in the confines of her mind.

_…The man nuzzled her neck and whispered, “I love your scent.”… …They rode in a convertible; her curls flew wildly free as the summer night air hit her… …Standing face to face, she got lost in his eyes while he held her hand… …Now it was she who leaned over him, whispering “Take me to your room and make love to me”…._

Embarrassment creeps inside her as a strikingly crystal-clear memory comes back to her.

_… She lay on her back, his wonderful weight pinning her to the bed, while he thrust relentlessly inside her. Her hands roamed along his muscular back as he left a trail of heated kisses along her neck till he found that special spot… that exact point where her ear converges to her neck. A place so sensitive that the gentle caress of his tongue over it made her head reel…._

Then, Felicity finally remembers his name.

…“Oliver,” she panted, feeling as her body reaches to the edge. “Oh, yes! Faster! I’m so close!” she arched her back as he quickened his strokes and she screamed his name when her body erupted with exquisite ecstasy…

The memory is so vivid that it throws her off balance and made her knees buckle under the weight of such passion. Felicity catches herself against the first thing that her hand reaches. A chair or a table? It doesn’t matter.

“Hey, you okay?” Oliver asks her in a worried tone.

Felicity is barely aware of his question. She can’t talk. The words fail her while her brain plays and replays the events of the night before. Over and over again. How could have that happened? Moaning, she closes her eyes and wishes to go back to the blissful amnesia. To finally know what happened the night before becomes unbearable. Her head feels like is going to explode.

Big, strong hands grab her arms and gently usher her towards the bed. “Sit here,” with Oliver’s slightest encouragement, she flops on the edge of the bed. She stares unseeing at the wall in front of her. He leaves for a moment before coming back almost immediately with a glass of water and a couple of pills. “Take these. You’ll feel better.”

She blinks, focusing on what is in front of her but she doesn’t see the glass and the painkillers that Oliver brought her so kindly. All she sees is the golden band, strikingly noticeable on the ring finger of his left hand.

“You’re cheating on your wife!” she accuses with an outrageousness that burns her veins. She gasps as another revelation dawns on her, “Oh, God! I slept with a married man!”

That was something that as a teenager, she promised herself to never do. A vow that she made after watching her mother suffering too many times because she hooked up with married douches that promised to leave their wives for her. They never did and Donna got her heart broken too many times. Besides, Felicity would never do something that she doesn’t want anyone else to do that to her. Cheating is at the top of her list.

“I can’t believe that you’re married…”

“I am not!!” he counters, with equal disdain.

“No?! Then what’s _that_ , huh?” she points at his ring. “It looks like a wedding ring to me!”

Oliver looks down at his hand and his expression changes from glowering to slack-jawed, “What the hell?!!” He essentially smacks the glass of water and painkillers into her hands before sliding the ring off his finger to examine it. “This is impossible,” he breathes. Then looks at her with a horrified expression on his face. “Felicity, I swear to you on my life that I’m not married.”

She blames the hangover but she’s inclined to believe him. It becomes impossible not to when there’s not a drop of guilt on his face, no indication that he’d been caught doing something wrong. If anything, his face is set in abject terror, as if the idea of getting married is equivalent to a sentence for life. It’s either that or he’s an accomplished actor. As he starts pacing back and forth like a caged lion, running his hand through his hair and staring at the ring with incredulity, Felicity takes the painkillers. They might help to clear her head, just so she might be able to figure out what the hell is going on.

The energy in the room shifts when Oliver stops dead in his tracks, letting out a crude curse.

“What?” she asks.

Oliver turns around with no color in his face and a piece of paper in his hand that he took from the top of the bureau. Wordlessly, he offers it to her and she slowly takes it, wary as hell.

“No!!” she whimpers, reading the mysterious paper. “Th-this can’t… H-how…” she sputters, “how is this possible?! I thought it was a one-night-stand… and now we’re _married_?!”

She can’t believe it! She holds their marriage certificate in her hand. _This has to be a nightmare_ , she thinks. A piece of paper isn’t proof enough for her. Papers can be forged. Why Oliver would forge such thing, she has no idea. It doesn’t make sense at all. All that Felicity knows is that there’s only one way to confirm her suspicion. Yet, she doesn’t want to look down to her left hand. Inevitably, she does.

“Frak!” she cries, watching the golden ring with a huge diamond encrusted in it, sparkling prettily on her finger. She married a stranger. Never in her life had she thought that something like that would happen. No doubt that with the same expression of misery that he has, Felicity looks up at the man who is apparently her husband to ask him, “What do we do now?”

* * * * *

It’s a month after the unexpected wedding and Oliver still can’t believe that he got married. At first, he thought she would take advantage of his family money to get a profitable arrangement in a divorce. However, it became clear to him that that was never her play. Getting married to him was never in her plans. If anything, she seemed equally horrified of what they had done. When she found out that he came from a wealthy family, she told him that she didn’t want any money from him. In fact, she returned the ring he gave her and emphasized that all she wanted was to make it as if that night never happened. They decided to get an annulment and that’s why he’s back in Vegas. The appointment to talk with the judge is today.

What Oliver never saw coming was that he missed Felicity in the four weeks since he had seen her last. The memories from the night he met her plagued him for a month, day and night, making him see the fantastic chemistry they shared. A connection that he never had before with any other girl. At the first glance, she isn’t the type of woman he was used to dating. Perhaps it’s that fact that fascinates him the most about her. She’s as beautiful as many models that he had hooked up with. And yet, unlike those inconsequential conquests who all pretended to have a closeness that never was real, Felicity shows freely her gentle heart. She has a genuine quality in her, showing herself exactly as she is. Felicity never displays ulterior motives. He’s amazed by how she speaks her mind, with such a kindness and honesty. He rarely gets any of that in his daily life. Without a doubt, Felicity Smoak is a remarkable person.

Oliver is baffled by a discovery he did that same morning. As he got ready to leave his hotel room and go to the judge’s office to get the annulment, melancholy fell over him. It’s strange, thirty days before, the simple thought of getting married provoked nightmares but now that the marriage he never wanted is about to end, the idea of being a husband doesn’t repulse him so much anymore. Sitting in the rental car, just outside of Felicity’s house, the sadness gets worse. So many possibilities invade his head; endless what-ifs of what could have happened if they hadn’t gotten hitched in a chapel with Elvis as the officiant.

He could be dating Felicity right now. Instead of going to a courthouse, he could be taking her to on a lunch date… or maybe taking her on a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. The idea intrigues him, much more than he dares to admit. However, it never occurs to him to propose it to her because of the few times that he spoke with Felicity through the phone during the past weeks, she maintained the terse conversation. She always went to the point, keeping the talk polite but detached. Everything was about correcting the drunken mistake they made.

Oliver can’t stall much longer, despite his uncharacteristic nerves that were assaulting him. His heart beat fast in his chest with anxiety. Taking a calming, deep breath, he finally gets out of the car and strolls through the short entryway to the small, cozy-looking house. He knocks on the front door. After short seconds, Felicity opens the door, wide-eyed.

“Oliver?”

“Felicity, hi.”

“What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the judge’s office?”

The smile forming on his lips falls down, noticing that she looks somewhat well… more beautiful than what he remembered, but something is off in her. She’s pale and has bags under her eyes. “You told me yesterday that your car is at the mechanic’s and I thought of giving you a lift to the Courthouse.”

“Oh, that’s thoughtful of you, thank you.”

“Felicity, are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah, um, I’m fine. I’m— I’m perfect. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No, it’s nothing.” He acts nonchalant even when every instinct in him tells him that she’s lying. The high tone of her voice and the fact that she isn’t meeting his eyes are particularly telling. To his dismay, there’s not much he can do if she doesn’t want to tell him. The only affiliation he has with her will be cut in two hours or so, therefore, he has no right to demand the truth out of her. Being so, his worry persists.

“Do you mind to come in while I finish something I need to do for work, and then I can get ready,” she offers. “It’s just for a few minutes.”

“No, not at all. It’s still early, we got time.”

She steps back, opening the door wider and welcoming him to her home. Oliver can’t help but smile as he gets in. The small house is exactly as he imagined it’d be, colorful and quirky. It’s unique in a wonderful way, just like its owner.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” then she mutters something else, too low and too fast for him to catch as she walks to the kitchen.

“What was that?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, nothing, nothing. So, coffee?”

“Yes, thank you. Black, no sugar.”

For the next minutes, while he sits in the living room, he watches her typing like crazy on the keyboard of her laptop. Felicity’s face is fixed with such intensity that it’s clear to him how passionate she is about her work. “I never asked what you do,” he comments, before sipping once more the most delicious coffee he’s ever tasted. “Hmm, you make good coffee.”

Felicity turns her head to look at him, with a lovely smile on her lips. Her entire face brightens, “Thanks! That’s the only thing I can make well. I’m a genius but not when it comes to cooking.” She shudders as if a bad memory crosses her mind. Then, she continues, “I’m graduated in computer science and cybersecurity from MIT—”

“MIT, wow! I’m impressed. And your work…”

“Well, I’m currently working independently as IT consultant. I’m taking my time considering some jobs offers before accepting the best for me. I don’t want to continue being buried in a cubicle, underpaid and underused by a corporation. I know my worth and I have enough saved money to live modestly for a while until I decide which position that meets my expectations.”

“Very wise of you. You should apply to Queen Consolidated. My family’s company is always looking new people for the IT department and Applied Science Division.”

“Who says I haven’t? Or that they haven’t already sent an attractive offer, which I’m very inclined to accept,” Felicity gifts him a dazzling, mischievous smile. Turning her head back to her laptop, she adds in low voice, “or I was before I found out I got married to you.”

Oliver puts his mug down on the coffee table and gets to his feet. He shortens the distance between the sofa where he’s sitting and the dinner table where she’s at. “Hey,” he whispers and waits until she looks up, “If working at my family’s company is the best for you, don’t turn the job down because of me. I have _nothing_ to do with the company except for the name. My dad is who runs it.”

“But what if somebody finds out about our marriage and say I got the position for other than my expertise and my excellent qualifications, huh? Honestly, I don’t want to be the blonde bimbo that got hired because she slept with the son’s boss.”

“Nobody will know, Felicity. If the press hasn’t figured it out yet, nobody will.” It wasn’t for lack of trying, though. In the last month, rumors of him getting married in Vegas with an unknown woman abounded. Unbelievably, no one in the media managed to find any proof. To tell the truth, he expected that some photos of them would make it to the front page of some tabloid, or the security video from the place they got married would end in the hands of TMZ. Oliver didn’t care much for what the sensationalist press throw at him; he was used to it. He had been worried about Felicity getting caught in the middle of the media frenzy that routinely came when the Queen family was involved in something… especially if the event had to do with him. “We’re lucky with that.”

“Lucky? I’d say it was the magic these beauties made,” she says as she pauses in her typing to wiggle her fingers. Then Felicity continues what she’s doing. “Thank very much.”

Oliver’s jaw drops, hearing the revelation. His admiration for the woman in front of him grows by the second. “You?! You managed to wipe all the evidence and make as if we never were together in the casino… did you delete the security footage of the chapel where we got hitched?”

“It’s that judgment I’m hearing?” she asks looking at him over the rim of her spectacles.

“No, I’m not judging you. Actually, I’m in awe.”

Oh, the proud beam that spreads on her face is brighter than the sun. She looks spectacular, as radiant and effervescent as the moment when he met her in the Bellagio. Whilst their gazes clashes, they both have the same reaction. Their pupils dilate with scalding desire. Oliver knows that the train of thought takes both of them the same point. Both are transported back to that night when they shared such ardent and sensual moments. Moments that are forever carved in his soul. Unforgettable kisses and caresses that his body feels as if they were happening right now. Heat rushes through his veins, heading straight to his groin. Felicity isn’t immune to the memories either.

Oliver is happy to see a pretty blush appears on her cheeks. It returns the healthy color to her face, erasing all traces of illness from it. Her heavy breathing, not too dissimilar to his own, is another sign of her arousal. She bites her lip and Oliver’s gaze focuses on her dark pink, kissable lips. The temptation to lean down and take her mouth for assault proves to be much more than what Oliver can bear. He steps closer, angling his body toward her until there are just a few inches separating him from what he longs the most.

_Bang!_

The hot bubble around them breaks when a car’s exhaust backfires on the street. They jump as the loud noise startles both of them. The fright is enough to dissipate the desire in the air, giving plenty of room for the awkwardness to set in. Oliver clears his throat as he straightens himself while Felicity stammers, “I— um, I probably should…“ she points at the screen of her laptop, “you know,” she swallows hard, “like… to finish this.”

Immediately, she goes back to work. Even if it’s true that she has a job to do, it can't be denied that she’s avoiding looking at him. Honestly, Oliver doesn’t know how to react.

“Yes, of course. Sorry. I’m… Um, I shouldn’t be distracting you,” he prattles, surprising himself of being as flustered as she seems to be. His entire body is drawn tight with frustration, just as his pants are. His throbbing hard-on strains against his fly. He needs a few minutes to calm himself down. He’s not used to the intensity of his desire for her. He’s craved other women before but his lust for them was nothing in comparison to what Felicity makes him feel. It’s so overwhelming that it scares the hell out of him. She’s giving him an opportunity to retreat and he’s taking it. Oliver needs to clear his head. “Can I use your bathroom?”

“Yeah. First door to the right,” she indicates the hallway with the tilt of her, still keeping her eyes anywhere but on him.

“Thank you.”

As soon as he locks himself in the bathroom, he leans against the door and closes his eyes. “What are you doing?” he mutters to himself. “You’re getting the annulment in an hour and you’re trying to kiss her?” Banging his head against the door, he hisses, “Stupid!”

However, Oliver knows that’s utterly pointless to beat himself up for it now. He can’t erase what happened, all he can do is get himself together and move on. Oliver tells himself that he needs to go back to his old self and old life. The last thing that he needs is a woman capable of provoking this level of madness in him. That’s without mentioning that he never wanted to get married in the first place.

And yet, the fact that nothing will tie him to her after this day makes him sad. Feeling like a yo-yo because of his incomprehensible swaying emotions, he sighs and pushes himself away from the door, heading to the toilet to pee. When he’s lowering the zipper of his pants, his hand freezes at midway because he catches something out of the corners of his eyes. There’s a rectangular box in the trashcan by the corner that gets his attention. The words on it are written in a pale purple hue but, for him, they seemed to be in flashing neon green. It’s not the letters, but what they say.

Oliver finds himself being shocked by an unexpected discovery for a second time this day. He wants to deny it but the evidence is too blunt… too overwhelming to ignore. Slack-jawed, he contemplates the innocuous box, reading _Home Pregnancy Test_ over and over for thirty seconds until his brain finally grasps the meaning of those three little words. His throat goes dry and his heart thumps wildly in his chest cavity like a runaway horse.

Did he get Felicity pregnant on their wedding night?

His fuzzy memory of what happened a month ago provides no recollection about having used protection, which makes the pregnancy a real possibility. His feelings are at odds again. His desire for the test to belong and not to belong to Felicity are equal in strength. He didn’t see any evidence of it but she could have a female roommate that Oliver doesn’t know about. Maybe, the other woman is who got pregnant. In the case of that being false and the test being actually Felicity’s, then Oliver’s still at war with himself. The apprehension, for knowing which the result of the test is, hangs heavy on the air.

The chance of the test being a positive terrifies him to an unfathomable level. What does he know about being a father, when in his late twenties he still has some growing to do. He isn’t as wild as he used to be, but he won’t call himself a responsible man capable of raising a child either. Supporting the kid financially isn’t the problem; it’s everything else what worries him. On the other hand, he won’t be whole heartily relieved either if the test is negative. If Felicity isn’t pregnant then it means that, now that their marriage is being erased from existence, the possibility to be tied to her for life is lost.

Unable to keep enduring the uncertainty anymore, Oliver grabs the box and looks inside. As he suspects, the thin plastic stick is hidden within. He takes it out, noticing the word positive written on it. “Shit!”

He can’t ignore this. Oliver gets out of the bathroom having no other choice but facing Felicity. He finds her in the same spot where he left her a few minutes before. She’s focusing intently on the screen of her computer. Stopping at the end of the hallway, he fixes his gaze on her petite form. “Felicity, do you have a roommate?” he asks first to eliminate that possibility.

“A roommate? No. I live alone,” she replies absentminded, not even deigning herself to look at him. “Why?”

Okay, there it goes that gamble, he thinks. “So this… thing is yours,” he says.

“Thing? What thing?” she turns her head to look at him. As soon as Felicity sees what he’s holding between his fingers, her eyes open as wide as flying saucers and she swallows loudly.

“Care to explain it?” Oliver uses an even, calm voice. He doesn’t want her to think he’s angry or something. He’s not. What Oliver is feeling many things right now, most are emotions that he can't begin to comprehend. None of those is anger, though.

She shifts on the stool she’s sitting on until she’s completely facing him. First, she takes a deep breath and then says, “Yes, I’m pregnant, and before you ask… yes, it’s yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask, yes, there a second part full of more surprises. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you guys like this


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surprises keep coming for Oliver and Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, doing a late post? Naaah! That never happens. Only with the 99% of my updates. Sooooooooo, as not to break tradition, here I am posting late the prompt of @OlicityHiatusFicAThon “Comfort” (week 7). 
> 
> I said in the first chapter that this fic had only two parts, but as I was writing, I realized that a third chapter is needed. That’s good news if you can get enough of this story, but bad news if you want the end now. If you’re in the 1st category, great! If you’re in the 2nd, sorry!
> 
> Well, I’m talking too much, so I’m wrapping this up by saying thank you @wherethereissmoak for the edits. You’re amazing!
> 
> PS; there’s an easter egg in this chapter as a gift for @tdgal1 because she’s the best partner EVER!!

The morning is going nothing like Felicity planned. She had cleared her schedule for the day, unsure of how long talking to the judge would take. However, when she woke up, she found that one of her clients had messed up horribly with his system. Why did people insist on getting their hands on what they shouldn’t? If it wasn’t because of the fact that every time he screwed up —which seemed awfully often— the guy paid her a lot of money, she would have waited until after coming back from the courthouse to fix his problem. But, she needs every penny she earns. Felicity’s income isn’t constant, so she can’t waste any opportunity to get extra cash.

She hadn’t expected Oliver appearing at her door, either. It was a nice surprise to find out that he cares a little about her. Of course, that is thinking optimistically. He just wants to get their union over with for good. To undo the drunken mistake they made.

Felicity knows that he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. Although, she can’t blame him for that. What she feels for him herself is unclear. She spent all month thinking about him and even dreaming about him. Too many nights she woke up, sweaty and horny. She repeatedly dreamt about their night in that hotel room. To her dismay, the dreams were not just the memory of that night. Eventually, they changed to something new but they were always about Oliver tenderly making love to her.

Curiosity to know more about Oliver, about the man that made her feel such passion, drove her crazy. The memories from the night they shared haunted her for weeks. They became a source of comfort and torment when Felicity started to suspect the consequences of their wild night, which resulted in the other thing that she never saw coming.

She’s still trying to accept her new reality of being pregnant, pondering what to do. Felicity wasn’t going to keep the secret from Oliver forever, she just needs to decide if she wants to keep the baby or not. Having a child at this point in her life wasn’t in her original plan but she can’t bring herself to think about terminating the pregnancy.

But now, Oliver had discovered that she discarded in her trash one of the umpteenth home tests she took in the last ten days. Felicity hoped a different result with each but they all said the same thing. She is 4-weeks pregnant.

Oliver stands frozen like a statue at the hall’s entryway, watching her with an inscrutable expression on his face. His chiseled features give away nothing to Felicity, so she can’t start guessing what he’s thinking.

All she can do is imagine the confusion and fear he must feel. Felicity assumes he does because those are the primary emotions, squeezing her chest as well; so tight that she barely can breathe. Even in denial, she’s had over a week to get used to the idea of having a child. For him, it should be much harder; Oliver must be in total shock and she can understand that.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

His question is in a soft-spoken voice, devoid of all emotion. The lack of passion in his reaction makes Felicity nervous. She thought that he would react differently, angrier perhaps, and without a doubt, she thought he would be louder. And yet, there he was, being the epitome of equanimity.

“Yes,” she croaks, with her volatile emotions making her voice tremble. Her words get stuck in her throat but she forces them out. “I swear, Oliver, I— I was going to tell you. I just… I was trying to figure out what I want to do first, you know.”

“So, do you…?” Oliver trails off, finally showing some emotion. His mask of perfect composure begins to fall apart. Felicity catches out of the corners of her eyes that his free hand is twitching slightly. He’s rubbing his index and middle fingers against his thumb in a nervous tick.

“Do I… what?”

“What do you want to do? Are you… having the baby… my baby?”

Felicity swallows hard and blinks furiously, holding back the tears spurred by the tone of his voice. She doesn’t miss the possessiveness in his question, nor did escape her attention the vacillation behind the inquiry. It seems that he’s as torn as she is. What she should do is the one million question.

“I don’t know, Oliver. I just don’t,” she rubs her forehead, as a feeble bout of lightheadedness hits her. Felicity has had many of those in the past couple of weeks, but none had been bad enough to make her faint. She takes a deep breath that helps to clear her head. “I’m the daughter of a single mom and I know how hard can be to raise a child alone. I definitely didn’t have plans to become a mother in this point of my life.”

She’s well aware of all the sacrifices that her mother made raising her after her dad left them when Felicity was seven. They didn’t have much, sometimes only enough for the rent. Nevertheless, Donna waitressed sixteen hours a day, six days a week, so she could send Felicity to MIT. She and Donna might not have much in common, but Felicity has never doubted how much her mother loves her.

The same way she would love her child. Maybe, she already does. The bundle of cells growing in her womb provokes such tender feelings in her.

Oliver frowns and takes a step closer to her, saying, “You wouldn’t be alone, Felicity.”

She blinks when Oliver’s words pull her out of her thoughts. She’s shocked by the sincerity in his words; however, she has a hard time believing him. In her experience, men don’t stay, despite the promises they make. Oliver won’t be different. Felicity knows it and doesn’t dare to hope otherwise. That way she avoids a sure heartache and bitter disappointment.

“Yes, I would,” she counters firmly as he comes close to her. Now, he stands in front of her, respecting her personal space only by a hair’s breadth. She steels her back, gazing up at him and determined not to be intimidated by his presence. “You might stay in the beginning, but you eventually will leave when you get tired of the responsibility.”

Oliver recoils as if he had gotten a physical blow, taking a step back. “You don’t know that, Felicity. You don’t know me that well,” he says with a stony face.

Felicity ignores the tinge of hurt in his voice and pushes the matter further. “And that’s part of the problem. We spent _one_ night together —of which we remember barely anything—, and we’ve spoken on the phone a handful of times. I might not know everything about you, but I know enough. I know who you are. You’re Oliver Queen, the infamous billionaire playboy who dates a different woman every week and who takes the responsibility for nothing. You’re the same guy who got married while drunk in Vegas.”

She’s been merciless, reciting what is a secret for nobody; Oliver’s life of debauchery is well documented by the media. Maybe, she’s being unfair to him. As he said, she barely knows him and, maybe, there more to him than what meets the eye. However, she isn’t going to risk believing in his promises to later to be let down by him. “So, how does raising a child fit into that kind of lifestyle, hmm?”

“No, it doesn’t,” he admitted, averting his eyes in shame. When he shifts his intense blue eyes back to her face again, he uses an unwavering voice to say, “That doesn’t mean that I can’t change. What if I’m tired of that dissolute life? What if I’m willing to try to be better, to be more responsible?”

“A child needs more than trying, Oliver. If I’m having this baby, can you promise me that you will be there, every day, day and night, no matter what? Will you be there at 3 am to feed the baby or take care of your child when she or he gets sick, instead of partying?”

He stares at her, searching for something in her eyes, or maybe seeking the answer in his own soul.

“For you, I will,” he finally says. Felicity tries to find artifice in his voice, but she finds none. When Oliver speaks, he does it wearing his heart on his sleeve, “I know that it sounds impossible, but I like you, Felicity. A lot. You—” he stops, obviously struggling with the words. He sighs before continuing a declaration that she never expected, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you since last time I saw you.”

Felicity becomes petrified and swallows hard as he invades her personal space, towering over her. She has a hard time believing that both were thinking of each other. It seems impossible, unthinkable the connection between them. He slides his hands on her forearms downward, his gentle touch stirring goose bumps on her arms. That simple gesture is enough for kindling her entire body. Oliver grabs her hands, rubbing her wrists with a hypnotizing and sensual circling motion.

“Never has another woman captured my attention. Not like this. There’s something… something about you that draws me to you.”

“Oliver, I…”

She looks into his deep eyes, lost for words. What could she say? That she likes him too…that she desires his touch? She does, much more than she ever imagined she would. He’s so handsome and sweet.

Despite the rumors of him being a douche, Oliver has been everything but that to her. In fact, he has been quite considerate with Felicity. The question is if a mere physical attraction and kindness are enough. Could that sustain them if they try to have a more serious relationship? What if it doesn’t? What if she’s right and Oliver leaves?

In the case that she’s having the baby, she’ll do more than the humanly possible to protect the child from the pain that it means to be abandoned by your father. Felicity knows that pain intimately and she wishes for nobody to feel it, not even her worst enemy… much less her own child.

“Look, Felicity, I’m supporting whatever you decide, okay,” Oliver says, holding her gaze. “If you don’t want the baby, I’ll be there with you throughout the process. On the other hand, if you decide to have it, then I’ll be there too, making sure that you and she or he have everything you both need. But I can’t promise that I won’t make mistakes.” He averts his gaze down, focusing on their joined hands. Looking back up at her face, Oliver voices a painful truth, “No one can promise that. If they do, they are lying. I don’t want to do that to you. I won’t.”

He tempts Felicity to buy his words while he’s being so understanding. She wants to believe him so badly. That leap of faith is a monumental step for her, one which she might be not ready to take.

“Oliver, I— I don’t know what to do,” she sobs, no longer able to hold back her emotions.

“Don’t cry, Felicity,” he says, wrapping his arms around her. “Don’t, please. It breaks my heart.”

He’s holding her in a tight, soothing embrace. For a moment, Felicity fights it before accepting the comfort. She winds her arms around his waist, letting his warmth envelop her like a protective blanket as she cries with her face buried in his shirt. The hug feels so good. Felicity gets a sense of belonging; she feels that she’s with the right person for her. For so long she had waited to feel that and it’s unbelievable that Oliver Queen, of all people, is who makes her feel that way.

“You don’t need to decide anything right now,” he breathes against her hair before kissing the top of her head. “You don’t need to do a single thing at this very moment. We don’t need to get the annulment or make the doctor’s appointment. We don’t need to do any of that until we talk this through. We— “

“W—wait… h—hold up,” she cuts him off, disentangling herself from his hug as she sniffs and wipes her shed tears off her cheeks. “Stop right there, Oliver Queen. I don’t know about that baby, but we _are_ getting that annulment. That’s the only thing I’m sure about, mister.”

“But, Felicity—,” he sputters, “would be better if we wait until we decide what we’re going to do?”

“Oh, no. I’m not staying married to you, Oliver. That’s not happening,” she declares firmly.

“But, Fe-li-ci-ty…”

The way he says her name makes a bunch of butterflies flutter in her stomach but they’re not enough to redirect her from her goal. She’s set on returning to be a single woman.

“What if we have the baby… what then?” Oliver insists. “At least this way we’d have done something right. We got married and _then_ we have the kid.”

His attempt at humor has no more effect than the distinct way he said her name.

“If you assume that I believe in getting or staying married for the sole benefit of a child, you would be wrong. I want to be married out of love, not out of duty. And you gave me your word to end our marriage this way,” she reminds him, waving her finger at him.

By Oliver’s expression, Felicity clearly can tell he doesn’t share her opinion, which is weird, considering that he had been horrified about being her spouse a month ago. Now, it seems he’s looking an excuse to continue being her husband.

Why the sudden change of heart? She would chalk it up to the fact that she’s pregnant and he feels some kind of obligation toward her but Oliver just found that out. Strangely, Felicity has the feeling that he had his doubts about going through with the legal procedure long before now. Oliver keeps his eyes on Felicity, narrowing them slightly. She almost can see the cogwheels of his brain, turning and trying to come with a way of convincing her searching an argument capable of changing her mind.

Finally, he comes up with one, which catches her off guard.

“Fine,” he concedes in a tone that says that it’s everything but. “We’re going to the courthouse and getting the damned annulment, but I have one condition.”

Felicity’s stomach knots with wariness. The determination coming out of Oliver skims over her in almost tangible waves and she fears he won’t yield if she doesn’t accept his terms. “What condition?”

“That you accept the job at Queen Consolidated and move to Star City.”

“What?! Have you lost your mind? Why would I move there? Why do you ask me that?!”

“Because it would make things easier,” Oliver retorts, heated.

His tone ignites her temper, so Felicity quips, “For whom?”

“For both of us! You told me that you expect me to be present in the baby’s life, right? Both living thousands of miles away makes that almost impossible. It could be me who moves to Vegas, true, but you said that the job offer was good for you career, so why not?!”

“That’s good if I have the baby, but what if I don’t? Then there would be no need for us to live in the same city!”

“Okay, but the job offer is still good and… and—” Oliver hesitates and snaps his mouth shut. He’s worked up from their argument; his breathing is heavy and his eyes shine with a captivating intensity. “And… and I don’t want to stop seeing you!” he finally blurts out. “I— I was hoping that even when we’re not husband and wife anymore, we could, I don’t know, start over. To get know each other and see where that lead us.”

Felicity can’t believe her ears. “Oliver, w—what are you saying?” she asks in a subdued tone.

Oliver squats down in front of her, lowering himself to her level and cupping her face. He speaks in a much softer tone than the one he used moments ago, “I’m saying that I want to date you, Felicity. I want to discover the things you like and the ones you don’t. I want to know what makes you laugh or cry. I want to know everything about you…” he presses his forehead to hers. “But most of all, I want to love you. I want to be inside you and make you feel wanted and cherished.”

Before Felicity can come up with a proper response to that —it’s not that it’d come fast enough anyway since her brain is rendered stupefied—, Oliver kisses her.

It starts soft and tentative, Oliver barely brushing his lips against hers. But soon, the same passion that captivated them the first night they met takes over them again. Felicity moans as Oliver explores her mouth with his tongue and heat engulfs her. Molten desire rushes through her veins, firing up her body. Kissing him back with same intensity, Felicity forgets her inhibitions. She can’t think, time stops, and reality warps itself until nothing else matters to her than Oliver kissing her. All that she can do is get lost in the connection she has with him.

The wall around her heart crumbles and she is incapable of stopping the seed of her love for Oliver take root. It’s fragile and it could wither if isn’t gardened properly. Nevertheless, with the due care, that small seed could become in a big, strong oak. And it could thrive and live for the rest of her life, filling her with never-ending bliss.

When they pull back, breathless and aroused, Oliver whispers against her swollen lips, “Please, Felicity, give us the chance to be something great. I know we could be and you can sense that, too. I know you do. Let’s try it.”

Afraid but unable to fight against the feelings, Felicity nods minutely. She knows that she could be making the worst mistake of her life but hopes for the best.

*****************

Oliver waltzes through the building that bears his name. In the last four weeks, he has come to Queen Consolidated’s Applied Science Division more times than he had since the new site had been built four years ago. It might be because he has now a different reason —a much more pleasant reason— to come other than learning a business in which he has no interest. At least, finally, his parents seem to come to terms with his decision to never run QC.

It isn’t in his blood to spend sixteen hours a day behind a desk and going to boring board meetings.

Now, there’s an adorable blonde working in the division, who has the power to bring him here at any time of the day. Even when he and Felicity are taking things slow, after annulling their short marriage almost two months ago, Oliver can’t help the pull of spending as much time with her as possible.

He’s doing things differently with his ex-wife/current girlfriend. Oliver’s getting to know her, much more deeply than he has with any woman in the past. What that joins them is beyond of the initial and explosive attraction. Now, a blooming friendship is forging an unbreakable bond between them. Oliver had never felt so close to anyone before. It’s hard to grasp and almost impossible to believe but he’s in love with her. Madly. Deeply.

The icing on the cake? She’s carrying his baby.

The thought of being a father scares him to death, sometimes to the point of spurring him to run in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, most of the time, he’s beyond thrilled. He can’t wait to meet his son or daughter.

The baby is the reason he’s there at that particular hour of the afternoon, instead of picking Felicity up for lunch as he usually does. They have a doctor’s appointment to get a sonogram of the baby.

Knocking softly on the door, Oliver enters Felicity’s office and finds her standing, leaning on her desk with one hand, while the other is over her barely-showing bump.

“Felicity?”

Hearing her name, she lifts her head. Silent tears are streaming down her cheeks, which throw Oliver into a state of high alert. He is at her side a heartbeat later.

“Felicity, what’s wrong?”

She looks into his eyes with a strange expression on her face, which Oliver can’t identify. “The baby,” she whispers brokenly as more tears fall from her eyes.

Cold terror and excruciating pain stop Oliver’s heart. He can’t bear the thought of something happening to his child or Felicity. Oliver knows that he needs to stay strong for Felicity, even he feels as he’s dying inside. “Come, sit,” he gently motions her back to her chair. Crouching in front of her, he asks her, “Are you in pain? We should go to the doctor now.”

As he attempts to get on his feet, Felicity stops him, shaking her head no, while keeping a hand protectively over her belly.

“What is it?”

“It moved,” she whispers, emotions clogging her throat.

“What?”

“The baby… it moved. I felt it moving inside me.”

The news takes Oliver by surprise and leaves him petrified. Felicity takes advantage of his shocked state. Grabbing his hand, she puts it on her belly, “Can you feel it?”

Oliver blinks, trying to process what she’s saying and what it means, “You’re all right,” he says, finding his voice at last. “You’re not in pain. Is the baby all right?

“Yes, of course, it is. It moved!”

The relief of knowing that the two more important people in his life are just fine is so great that his legs lose their strength, which makes him sway in his crouched position.

“Whoa, Oliver! Are you okay?” Felicity asks as she steadies him, grabbing by his shoulders.

He leans his head on her lap, reining his devastating emotions. He’s so relieved that he could weep. “Oh, Felicity, you gave me a heart attack. Don’t do that ever again!”

“What? What did I do?” she wonders, not exactly sure what he means. As he continues with his forehead against her thighs, he wraps his arms protectively around her waist. Realizing how shaken he is, she scrapes his scalp lightly with her nails in a soothing motion. “Did you think there was something wrong with me or the baby?

Scoffing, Oliver lifts his head to look at her, saying, “What else you wanted me to think? I found you crying and, when I asked you what was wrong, you said ‘the baby’.”

Felicity cups his face and edges closer to him until their foreheads are touching. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. We’re fine,” she reassures him, “the baby and I are perfect. My tears were of happiness. I never felt our child moving before, so I got emotional and my hormones took it out of proportion. That’s it.”

“Truly?”

“Yes! Here,” she takes his hand and places it on her belly on the right side. “Feel this.”

Oliver isn’t sure what he should be feeling but he keeps his hand exactly where Felicity put it. For a couple of minutes, he tries to sense movement in Felicity’s swelling stomach, but his fingertips catch nothing. He gives Felicity a puzzled look.

“Can’t you feel the kicks?” she asks, somewhat disappointed.

“No, not really.”

“Hmm… maybe they’re too feeble to feel on the outside yet. But I assure you, Oliver, your son or daughter is active,” she says with a soft smile on her lips. “But by the expression on your face, I know you’re not believing me. So let’s go to the doctor and she can tell you herself. I know you won’t be at ease until then.”

With a crooked smile, he says, “You’ve gotten to know me pretty well lately.”

Most people assume that he’s indifferent and self-absorbed. But the reality is that Oliver cares more than he should and his aloofness is a defense mechanism. However, with Felicity and the baby, he can’t help but care. In such a degree, that some nights he barely sleeps, thinking about all the things that can go wrong. Felicity has complained on several occasions because he’s driving her crazy.

Crazy or not, all he wants is for her and their child to be safe and sound.

That’s not a bad wish, is it?

“Hmm-mm,” she nods. ”Yep, I have. You worry too much and, then, you get all broody and growly. So, we better go before you get like that.”

Within the hour, they are in Dr. Groth’s office, Felicity lying on the exam table with her bare stomach covered in gel. The physician has her eyes fixed on the screen of the sonogram machine, checking that everything is as it should be. Felicity gasps as a fast-paced thumping echo in the air.

“Oh, my God!” she pipes, as tears glister her eyes. “Is— Is that the baby’s—”

“… Heart?” Dr. Groth ends for her. “Yes, that’s the heartbeat. One-forty-five per minute.”

“But, isn’t it too fast?”

“That’s perfectly normal.”

This time is Oliver who speaks, getting an impressed look from Felicity and an amused one from the doctor.

“How do you know that?” Felicity asks him.

“It’s in the book your mom gave me. That’s the normal rate for an eleven-week embryo.”

Oliver had never been prone to reading but, when Donna Smoak gifted a book about pregnancy and baby development, he didn’t hesitate in checking it out. He wanted to keep his promise to Felicity in trying doing his best for his child’s sake. If reading helps him to be a good dad, he gladly does it.

“Yes, it’s within the normal range.” Dr. Groth confirms before focusing back to the monitor as she slides the probe stick over Felicity’s lower abdomen to get a better image.

Oliver notes the doctor’s forehead puckering. “Doctor, is something wrong?”

That hijacks Felicity’s attention. She leans up on her elbows, with worry crinkling her face. “What?! Is the baby okay?!”

“There’s an echo,” the doctor mumbles, more to herself than to her patient. “Oh…”

“Oh… what?” Oliver and Felicity ask in unison.

Oliver holds Felicity’s hand for support, not quite sure who’s… his or hers. Maybe it’s a bit of both.

“There are two heartbeats.”

“And that’s a… good or a bad thing?” Felicity grills nervously.

The doctor turns to look at them with a smile brightening her face. “It’s good when you’re having two healthy babies. Congratulations!,” she says.

“Are you telling us we’re having _twins_?!” Oliver can’t believe it.

“Twins? As in…” Felicity extends her index and middle fingers of her right hand, “… _two_ babies?”

“Yes, two babies. Didn’t your doctor in Las Vegas mentioned the possibility of you carrying multiples?”

“No! If he had, I wouldn’t be so shocked! Well, I’d have been then if he had told me, not now.”

“How’s it possible that he missed that?” Oliver asks in a growly tone, as his mind races wondering if the doctor acted negligently with Felicity. If he did, then Oliver will use all the power that comes with his family’s name to make him pay.

“In early pregnancies, it is easy to overlook it if one embryo is overshadowing the other,” the doctor points on the screen. Oliver isn’t sure what he’s looking at in the grainy image, so he has no other choice but to trust her. Dr. Groth keeps explaining, “Or their heartbeats are synchronized, as it seems to be the case here. I barely caught it. The imaging technology has improved dramatically in the last twenty-five years, but things still get missed occasionally. And sometimes, nature is zealous with its secrets.”

“Can you tell us their sexes?” Felicity requests, staring at the screen with rapture.

“See what I was telling you?” the doctor says after a few minutes. “Your twins are shy and won’t let me see. Probably in the next exam, they will be easier to distinguish.”

“It’s okay,” Felicity says, “as long as they’re healthy.”

“They are,” the doctor assures. “The pregnancy is going as it should. Here, let me print a photo of your babies, so you can take it home with you.”

“Thank you, Dr. Groth,” Oliver says.

Later that night, the parents-to-be are cuddling on the sofa in Felicity’s apartment, looking at their twins’ picture.

“Oliver, I can’t believe we’re having two babies.”

Kissing the top of her head, he chuckles, “Neither can I.”

“But we’ll have double the love and fun.”

“And double the work and worry.”

Felicity groans, “I knew you’d say that!” she slaps his arm; not hard, just to get his attention. “Let’s enjoy this for the night before you get fully on the worrying wagon tomorrow.”

“I only worry because I want the best for the three of you.”

“I know, sweetie, but I think we’ve gotten our fill of surprises for a while. What else life can throw at us, huh?”

This is where Felicity is wrong. She doesn’t know it, but life has at least one more surprise for her in the future.


End file.
